


Penny for your Thoughts

by type_here



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 15:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8583304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/type_here/pseuds/type_here
Summary: There was a lot of things Eiffel never expected to see in life.  The demolition expert currently curled up at the head of his bunk, looking like he a dozed off that way, for one.  The little beady eyes of a plush teddy bear in a little space suit in his arms, for the other.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt for a lovely anon over on Tumblr that turned out a bit more bittersweet than intended? *shrug* 
> 
> Prompt was: Eiffel finds out that someone else on the crew (your pick) sleeps with a teddy bear??
> 
> Set after Time to Kill.

Eiffel sighed.

Even in the quieter moments everyone else were busy with something. Maxwell was always busy with Hera lately. It was definitely her way to cope with what happened in the module and Eiffel couldn’t blame her for that. It was definitely a thousand times better than his own old ways of drinking himself into a stupor. Okay, maybe he thought that last one a bit bitterly.

Kepler was doing what Kepler does, probably ET phone home-ing back to Cutter or plotting his next bout of manipulation. Lovelace and Hilbert, of all the people, were nowhere to be found, which kinda was really REALLY creepy if you thought about it too hard, and Minkowski was still not talking or not even looking at him at all since his blowout at her.

So It left him only really an option when it came to talking to someone and they had a kind of an arrangement, right? You could always barge in, unless the other mentioned something about not wanting to be left alone.

And with the whole kill your double thing that had happened…

Well, let’s just say Eiffel was kinda missing the equally annoying, infuriating and amusing banter from Jacobi. He missed trading insults and jokes and stupid movie references that someone actually got. 

So of course, considering Jacobi technically didn’t mention anything about wanting to be left alone, Eiffel barged in his room.

There was a lot of things Eiffel never expected to see in life. The demolition expert currently curled up at the head of his bunk, looking like he a dozed off that way, for one. The little beady eyes of a plush teddy bear in a little space suit in his arms, for the other 

“ I was a gag gift from Maxwell.” muttered Jacobi from his spot. He looked up at Eiffel and was looking as petulant as a kid wanting a cookie and being denied.

“ I’m not laughing about it!” Eiffel said, letting out a small amused snort right after.

“Yeah right.” Well now, Jacobi was just turning scornful.

“No seriously. Well… To be really honest, it’s kind of amusing, never thought you’d be one to go for that kind of thing, but -”

“ As I said it was a gag gift. I… Just became a stress thing, okay?” Jacobi sounded really pissed now.

“Okay, okay.” Eiffel dropped the subject.

Silence fell between the two of them. Eiffel floated to the edge of Jacobi’s bunk. Upon closer inspection, he did noticed the corner of the plush toy’s ear where the fur had been worn out flat.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“ With the inflation it’s more a buck now but yeah…”

Eiffel rolled his eyes. “No shit. I’ll give you two for it, if that’s what you want.” he replied.

Then there was more silence for a while. It wasn’t really a bad kind of silence, even though Eiffel was itching to fill it up with words, as he always wanted to do. So he started fidgeting.

Jacobi curled in closer on himself, clutching the plush toy closer.

“I dunno. It’s kind of hard to articulate. 

He looked up to the ceiling. Or at least whatever passed for it since they were just floating there anyways. 

“You wake up, you think it’s gonna be a normal day and…” He couldn’t even quite finish that thought. It was scary to finish that thought. He took a deep breath and just stared ahead of him.

“ET phones home and everything go crazy? Yeah. I got to know that particular feeling twice already. Not that great, but you know, if an idiot like me can manage twice, you totally can, right? Maxwell will come around, I’m sure of that. Just give her time. She got Hera to talk things through and you got me. I know I’m not much, but it’s still something.”

“Twice… Wow. Eh… You’re made of sterner stuff than I am.”

“Well no, I don’t think so. I guess I just learned from the bajillion really stupid mistakes I made. Or maybe not. I mean, I still keep making them all the freaking time. But then, you have a time to be stupid, you have to be angry at the world and feel sorry for yourself, then you fess up and own up to your mistakes. I don’t think I can even own up to all the freaking mistakes I ever made, but you know, one step at the time. You got people caring and it’s what counts.”

Eiffel shrugged. Jacobi stared at him. He knew from the file, from what Eiffel had told him and Maxwell and the rest of the crew. It got Jacobi curious about.the whole thing.

“Ever wished you’d go back and stop yourself from doing this?”

“ Yeah. But that’s the thing, you can’t go back again, you just keep going forward. You keep a picture and… You know, that’s why I can’t really laugh at you for keeping that. ” Eiffel replied pointed at the plush toy, still in Jacobi’s grip.

“Unh.” Jacobi looked down and tossed the bear at Eiffel.

“ A photo to remember the better days and a keepsake to remind me how much I fucked up. For all it’s worth, yours is in better shape than mine, so I guess you’ll get to keep it longer when all’s said and done.” Eiffel added, toying with it before sending it back Jacobi’s way. 

Silence grew between them for a while, once more. It wasn’t a bad kind of silence, just probably a bit more contemplative than Eiffel would like to. After months in a tin can, contemplative silences were not a thing he really appreciated. At least, he wasn’t alone this time. But it wasn’t about him right now honestly.

“ You’re okay with the whole double thing?” He asked. He knew it was still a rather raw subject but he really had to ask.

“Nah, not really. But as you said, as much as I want to, I can’t go back. Not that I would really like to go back either way, to be honest.” Jacobi said with a shrug. He was toying with the plush toy’s ear again.

“Yeah, no shit. I understand that. It was…” How Eiffel was supposed to finish that thought? Something? Terrifying? His fault? Because let’s face it if he hadn’t used the lock trick, Lovelace wouldn’t have known and they wouldn’t be where they are right now.

“Want to be left alone?” he added.

“Nah not really either. Thanks for offering me the choice though. I know I haven’t been - ”

“hey hey don’t even like… It’s okay. I’ll just go grab some things in my bunk and I’ll be back. I promise, okay?”

“… ‘kay.”


End file.
